Easy and best funfetti cupcakes recipe, homemade from scratch with simple ingredients. Topped off with creamy vanilla buttercream frosting. These confetti cupcakes are soft and moist and full of rainbow sprinkles. Also known as sprinkle cupcakes. Perfect for birthday parties for kids and even adults.
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I don't think I have ever been to a party, where these cupcakes were not served. They can always be found on the dessert table. I think it's a delightful twist on traditional cupcakes, bringing joy and color to any occasion. They are essentially vanilla cupcakes filled with rainbow-colored sprinkles that burst with vibrant hues when you take a bite. If you like these you will also enjoy my Funfetti Frosting, Funfetti Cake, and Funfetti Cookies.
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Key ingredients for best confetti cupcakes
- Water- Needs to be hot, but not boiling.
- Oil- Adds moisture to the cupcakes.
- Sour cream- Makes them soft and moist and must be full fat.
- Egg- Use a large one at room temperature.
- Vanilla extract- Adds a warm aroma and flavor.
- Almond extract- Compliments the vanilla wonderfully.
- Flour- This recipe can use all-purpose flour only.
- Sugar- Granulated will work best for this recipe.
- Baking powder- To act as a leavening agent.
- Sprinkles- I like to use the rainbow jimmies.
- American buttercream frosting- Classic for the perfect piping and flavor.
Variations
- Pair with other frostings- Such as , Marshmallow Frosting, Maraschino Cherry Frosting (Pink), Caramel Frosting, Cream Cheese Frosting, or Lemon Frosting.
- Chocolate frosting- In addition to all the above, chocolate would compliment the vanilla flavor of cupcakes perfectly. Try any of these recipes Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting, Chocolate Ganache Frosting, Chocolate Buttercream Frosting, or Healthy Coconut Cream Chocolate Frosting.
- Tint the icing- I kept the icing white and simple but you can use gel food coloring it to tint it any color you like. Liquid food coloring can make the frosting too runny.
- Make mini cupcakes- By using a mini cupcake pan. Just keep in mind that the baking time will be shorter.
- Fill baked cupcakes- By making a hole in the center and placing sprinkles, Strawberry Jam, Caramel Sauce, cooled Chocolate Ganache, various frostings, Whipped Cream, or Chocolate Whipped Cream. Check out my post on How to Make Filled Cupcakes for help, tips and tricks.
- Substitute oil with coconut oil- To add a subtle coconut flavor. Be sure the oil is at room temperature.
- Substitute sour cream with yogurt- I especially like the plain greek yogurt or vanilla.
- Use vanilla bean paste- Instead of vanilla extract.
How to make easy homemade funfetti cupcakes recipe from scratch?
- Mix together- Water, oil, sour cream, egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
- Whisk together- flour, sugar, baking powder in separate bowl.
- Combine dry and wet mixtures- Then fold in sprinkles (Image 1).
- Place batter- Into cupcake liners (Image 2).
- Bake- Until an inserted toothpick in the center comes out clean (Image 3).
- Prepare the frosting- And pipe a swirl on top of each cupcake.
- Toss on some sprinkles- And enjoy!
Tips and techniques
- Measure ingredients carefully- This is especially true for the almond extract, because it has a very strong flavor profile. Don't add too much or else your cupcakes will become bitter.
- If you have never piped cupcakes- Check out this detailed post and video on How to Decorate Cupcakes (Pipe or Frost Cupcakes).
- All ingredients should be at room temperature- In order for them to mix together smoothly and get the best texture.
- The less mixing, the better- Because if you mix the batter too much the colors bleed together.
- Do not use butter as a substitute for oil- You might be tempted to replace water with oil but don't do it. There is already sour cream which is adding creaminess and moisture. Butter will only make the cupcakes dense. Adding milk as well will yield very dense cupcakes.
- Watch the baking time- Because you don't want to over-bake your cupcakes and make them too dry or crumbly.
- To achieve uniform cupcakes- I recommend using a cupcake scoop or measuring cup to measure out equal quantities of batter into in each liner. That way they will look the same once they rise and bake.
- Use fresh ingredients- Especially when it comes to baking powder, because if it is expired your cupcakes may not rise properly.
- Wait until cupcakes are fully cooled before decorating- Because otherwise you will melt the frosting and get a gooey mess.
Storage
- Room temperature- I don't recommend letting these set out for more than 2-3 hours, because of the dairy products in the buttercream frosting.
- Refrigerate- Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freeze- Store unfrosted cupcakes in a sealed container in the freezer for up to 1 month. Then, them thaw overnight in the fridge, decorate, and enjoy.
- Make ahead- You can make these cupcakes up to 3 days before serving by saving them in a sealed container in the fridge. You can also make them up to 1 month
Recipe FAQs
Over-baking is usually the number one culprit for dry and crumbly cupcakes. Be sure to watch the bake time.
It is likely you didn't cook them long enough to allow them to rise in the very center. A dry toothpick inserted in the middle will help you know if they are fully done.
If you use butter instead of oil, or add milk, you will end up with dense cupcakes.
Not quite. Vanilla is just plain vanilla, but funfetti is vanilla with sprinkles!
Use jimmie sprinkles as opposed to the little colorful balls that easily bleed. You also want to be sure not to over-mix the batter as this adds to the mess of color.
More sprinkle desserts
- How to Make Homemade Sprinkles
- Birthday Sprinkle Cookies
- Rainbow Sprinkle Cake
- Birthday Cupcakes (Pinata Cupcakes)
- Rainbow Cupcakes (With Cake Mix)
Recipe
Easy Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes
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Ingredients
- ½ cup Water Warm but not boiling hot
- ¼ cup Oil
- ½ cup Sour cream Full fat, Room temperature
- 1 Egg Large, Room temperature
- 1.5 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon Almond extract
- 1 ¼ cups All-purpose flour
- 1 cup Granulated sugar
- 1.5 teaspoon Baking powder
- ¼ cup Rainbow jimmies sprinkles
- 2 cups American buttercream frosting
- 3 tablespoon Additional sprinkles For decorating
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add water, oil, sour cream, egg, vanilla extract, almond extract and mix until smooth.
- In another mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder.
- Add this dry ingredient mixture to the wet mixture and mix until just combined. Do not over-mix. A few lumps in the batter are completely fine.
- Fold in the rainbow jimmie sprinkles very gently with a spatula until evenly distributed.
- Pour batter in cupcake liners.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 18-20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool completely to room temperature.
- While the cupcakes are baking and cooling, prepare the frosting.
- Fill a piping bag with buttercream and attach Wilton tip 1M (large star tip) and pipe a swirl on top of each cupcake.
- Toss some sprinkles on top for decoration. Enjoy.
Notes
- Please note that this recipe makes 11 cupcakes and not 12 cupcakes like most other recipes.
- All ingredients should be at room temperature.
- Do not vigorously mix the batter once sprinkles have been incorporated because that would cause the colors to bleed.
- Do not replace oil with butter because using butter yields a denser cupcake.
- Do not over-bake cupcakes because that would make them dry and crumbly.
- Use a cupcake scoop or measuring cup to measure out equal quantities of batter into in each liner. This will ensure that each cupcake rises evenly and looks the same upon baking.
- Please make sure your baking powder is not expired and fresh because that would cause issues with these cupcakes rising properly.
- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Read additional tips and variations above.
Nutrition
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
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